MAN, Chinese investors explore new partnerships for industrial growth

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has solicited the support of Chinese government and investors on measures to drive the nation’s manufacturing sector.

The Director General, MAN, Segun Kadir, at the maiden edition of the MAN-Chinese investors forum on doing business in Nigeria, said partnering with the Chinese government would bring lots of value to Nigeria’s industrial sector, adding that the Nigerian business community is committed to supporting genuine Chinese investors.

“This partnership with China is a handshake that will bring a lot of values to our processes. We are looking at making it easier for an average Nigerian businessman to relate with an average Chinese, such that we will be able to break down the barriers.

“We are hoping to progress to being practical in terms of assisting each side to go through the regulatory processes, to build confidence, encourage partnership, have synergy both in terms of investments and availability of science and technology and manufacturing practices,” he said.

“The border closure is actually a double-edged sword; on one hand, it has been able to address to some extent, the challenge we have about unfair competition from goods that flow in from countries without going through the normal channels, which is usually referred to as smuggling, which has impacted some sectors of manufacturing negatively.

“On the other hand, it is also hampering our capacity to export our products to these West African countries, and especially for those who have established a kind of value-chain around the west African sub-region such that their production capacity does not start and end in one country. We have continued to say to government that closing the borders is not a sustainable strategy,” he said.

Earlier, the President, Chinese Investors Association for Development and Promotion, Ronnie Liu Changan, said the investment forum was to deepen the existing mutual relationship between both countries.

He said his dream is to see both countries forge stronger bilateral relationship, saying that in the past, he had issues cooperating with the Nigerian business community, but stated that the situation has improved positively since then.

“This investors’ forum is to guide all Nigerian businessmen and women who are willing to do genuine business with China and we hope we would be able to strengthen the trade ties because we believe in the Nigerian economy,” he said.